The Return of a Saviour
by Raftina Rune
Summary: After the first appearance of the Deathsaur, a certain Imperial deserter has the chance to rejoin the military. Will he accept or decline? If he accepts, what accomplishments and defeats will he endure? What inner demons will this 'saviour' battle as well
1. Chapter 1

Diclaimer: I know Rokai isn't used often, and especially as of late I've found him to be quite an interesting character. Actually, most of you probably don't recognize him by his name. He was the Imperial deserter that was in the captial of the Republic. Later on, in his final appearance, he saved Van and Rudolph from being imprisoned before jumping into a river. The name Rokai comes from his dog tag that Rudolph picked up. The question of what if brought this fanfic idea around. After all, had Rokai stayed with Van and his group, he could've been a hero too! I don't own zoids (or Rokai). This particular story takes place just a couple of months after Chaotic Century, a long time before Guardian Force. I just own Terra and whatever minor characters I put into this story. On another note, Terra is just appearing in this chapter as a plot device. I have no intentions of bringing her back and definitely not pairing her up with poor Rokai.

The fall of Prozen's Deathsaurer caused both the Helic Republic and the Guylos Empire to heave a huge sigh of relief. The long war was finally over, and Emperor Rudolph was on the Guylos throne as he was born to do. Though victory didn't come without a price, it had come with deaths and those that were thought to be dead, missing in action. And that was merely during the war.

The Imperial capital had sustained major damage and it shown after the vital battle. The wanton destruction displayed by Prozen would be quite a chore to clean up. Water pipes had been hit by the dreaded charged particle beams and even some of the food stores had been hit among the countless other buildings. The city was a confirmed disaster area. The newly inaugurated Emperor Rudolph sent out a plea for any and all Imperial soldiers to help with the clean up effort. The call had been heard for the most part, though there were plenty of deserters that wouldn't dare show themselves. Those with military training, even if not in the military currently, were precious resources, or so a young man felt as he looked at a poster. It spoke of something he had thought was just a rumor.

He pulled at the hood of his tan cloak that was similar to a poncho in design, still unsure of what he read. Apparently, the capital was getting desperate for help as all of the soldiers that had deserted within the past few months of the war had been pardoned, just two months after it. Of course, that was just to make them come forward to work for the military again, and he just wasn't sure if he really wanted to go back at all. Although the main reason for his desertion had been the state of the military while Prozen had tried to take the title as Emperor, there were some inner demons that he didn't know if he could ever let go.

A sudden gust of wind blew the hood of his cloak back, revealing the semi-long brown hair that went a few inches past his shoulders, brown eyes, and a red rectangle mark on his right cheek. Slightly panicking from habit, he immediately pulled it back over his head and looked around to see if anyone saw him, or even cared. After a moment, he deemed himself safe and went to buy some supplies. He was running low on matches and a few other things. The forest he had been hiding out in had provided hm with most of the things he needed otherwise, but sometimes fish was just getting old. The young man still had no intentions of going home, there were too many memories, and he didn't feel he could go to a colony near home. He knew they would pressure him to go back into the military, it wasn't something he wanted to deal with quite yet.

"Rokai? Is that you?" a voice called out, making the said man cringe a little. He didn't think anyone knew him here. He turned to where he determined the voice had come from and his brown eyes widened. Oh crap.

A petite woman in an Imperial uniform showing the rank of an officer was nearby him. Her teal hair, grey eyes, and a red mark that was similar to a compass rose in shape on her forehead gave her away as to whom she was. He could have cursed under his breath but didn't. "Terra, this isn't the time," he said turning to leave. He was actually surprised that she made it into the military, let alone being an officer. She had been a girl in the colony near his old home, and more or less a friend or a sister figure. He remembered that she used to cry often, and had been labeled as a wimpy cry-baby from the other children of that colony.

"Why not?" she asked, somehow managing to run up in front of his path. "This is the first time in over a year since I last saw you. We know you became a deserter, and I was hoping you would show up and maybe think of re-joining."

Rokai just shook his head, dealing with her was a chore. "Terra, just leave me alone. I'm not in any mood to think about the military right now," he said ending with a slight sigh. Terra Nereid had quite the effect on people, not just him. With tears lightly brimming in her eyes, he knew that he had hurt her feelings. However, at that moment, he just wanted her to leave.

Though, she appeared to not take that as an acceptable answer from him. "You're a coward, Rokai! I joined this military because I wanted to prove to you that I wasn't just some child!" That was then they heard another voice.

"Lt. Nereid, we need to get going, Ma'am."

Rokai looked to where her gaze went and saw a couple of other Imperial soldiers, and saw they were enlisted as he was, shown by the gray uniforms they wore. With that, she lightly wiped the half-formed tears from her eyes and walked over to the soldiers. "All right, I just needed to get something off my chest."

He just stood there shocked as the group left. He wasn't shocked by her reason to join the military, as that would be something he would see her attempting, but to be called a coward...was that what he really was? All of his logic told him no, but his morals told him yes. Was he really a coward though? He had saved Rudolph before going away after all. He was positive that Terra didn't know that fact, and felt that she would think differently of him otherwise. She also didn't understand what it was that he had gone through, what he did, and the guilt he still carried due to those actions. The thought of what he did in New Helic City still haunted his dreams and at that moment also sent a chill down his spine.

The young man walked back over to the notice, going into such deep thought that half of the time he couldn't even see the words on that paper. After a few minutes had passed, he then stared intently at the poster, focusing as if it would just magically make all of the answers appear for him.

Schala85: So whatcha think? Should I continue this? Any ideas on what to have him do? I'm open to suggestion, as long as you don't flame. Please review.


	2. Chapter 2

Schala85: Yay! Two reviews! Both from older members like me. In case anyone cared to know, I've been writing zoids fics since the number of them on this site was in like...just the double digits. Just not under my own account. And then there was the 2-3 year hiatus. :sweatdrop: Anyways, story factoid. The title of the story is a play upon the title of the last episode Rokai was in. And, I'm still ironing out what I want to do with the plot, so I'm sorry if this is too tedious for the moment. Any suggestions on what I should do (ie, having Rokai join the Guardian Force, or maybe just staying in the Imperial army with his own unit, blahblahblah...you get the idea) are welcome. I can't promise to use them, but it will hopefully help me get my act together. Though, most of the current happenings that are tedious are needed to get stuff built up. I hate charging head-on into a plot with nothing to back it. In any case, I don't own zoids. Or Rokai (though I wish I did. :sobs:).

Chapter 2

Five days later, Rokai stood at the palace gates in Guylos, wanting to just shrink into the ground where he could go under a rock and hide. Upon entering Guylos, some of the Imperial soldiers verified who he was, and told him that he was supposed to go to the palace to meet with Rudolph himself. Needless to say, that wasn't what he had in mind at all when he finally decided to go back. Even though he had helped the young emperor and Van out, he hadn't thought that he would have to actually come anywhere near this place. He wondered if all of the deserters were required to show up as well, but immediately thought against it. Just because they deserted at a worse time for the military, it didn't mean that all of the returning soldiers' intentions were good. Once he was verified by the palace guard, he was led to the throne room.

Rudolph sat on his throne, the young boy looking tiny compared to the large structure. Rokai bent down on his knee in a respectful bow, being he wasn't in a military uniform. Otherwise, he would've just had to salute. "Your Grace, you asked me come here?" Rokai asked, keeping his eyes to the floor. Had he looked up at the young emperor, he would've seen the sad expression on Rudolph's face. The boy didn't particularly like being treated like this, even if it was part of his duty.

"Rokai, you don't need to bow," Rudolph began, standing. "I wanted to give this back to you." With that said, he walked over to the older of the two, and held out his hand. Rokai hesitated before looking up and then standing. He then slowly took the object in Rudolph's hand. It was his dog tag, the one that he had pitched down in disgust before deserting. He knew that the reason for his coming to the palace wasn't just so Rudolph could give such a small thing back. However, he couldn't show any of his thoughts, not before him.

"Thank you, I appreciate you giving this back to me," he said, taking time out to place it back around his neck. The metal wasn't cold, it was quite warm, as it seemed it had been held onto for a while before he got it.

"Rokai, I want to invite you back into the military personally. Not as an enlisted soldier this time, but an officer," Rudolph finally said with a smile. He hadn't forgotten what Rokai had done for him, and he was glad that he was able to give him some sort of reward at last. Those that never asked for a reward were usually the most deserving.

On the other hand, Rokai was shocked. He never even thought about being an officer, and he certainly didn't have the training for it. Actually, he didn't even have a zoid to start with, which would make it hard for him to be an officer. He did have some money, but not anywhere near the amount it would cost to get a decent zoid, or even a lesser quality one. No, it wouldn't be hard, it would be next to impossible for him to be an officer. "Your Grace, I...must decline the offer," he said, a bit sad that he would have to do as such. However, he just didn't have the resources for such a thing.

Rudolph looked at the former deserter and by then even he had grown accustomed to that expression, and knew what it meant. "You don't need to worry about money, or anything else. If you ask for it, you will get it," he said, hoping he was correct in guessing that.

The young soldier began to shake his head, but decided against doing that to the emperor and instead nodded. "It's just as you say. I don't have the money, and I am honored that you wish to promote me to an officer but I don't have the training to do it."

"I said anything will be provided for you," Rudolph stated. "You can get into the academy and take the classes to become an officer, and once you need to get a zoid, that can easily be taken care of."

Rokai wasn't absolutely sure though. If Guylos was hurting enough to accept deserters back into the military without penalty, no matter the reason for desertion, then he wondered if Rudolph wasn't compromising someone else for his sake. That was something he definitely didn't want to have happen. He began to protest to this, but the words were caught somewhere along his throat. The young soldier had to admit that this offer was still extremely tempting, not to mention it would be very disrespectful to the emperor if he insisted to refuse.

"Okay, I accept your offer," he said a moment later without hesitation. If this was meant to be as it appeared to, then he had no choice but to accept it. "I hope I meet your expectations, your Grace."

Rudolph smiled at the elder person, relieved that Rokai decided to take this opportunity. He wouldn't be able to ask again. "Thank you. ...You have one week to get everything settled before classes at the academy start," he stated, trying to sound more official now. The last thing Rokai needed was for Rudolph to sound unsure of anything, he may end up backing out of that decision otherwise. It wasn't long before Rokai and Rudolph got most of the details about his enrollment settled, with the thought of the zoid he'd use put on the shelf for now.

Rokai took his leave of the emperor and went to his newer campsite, as he didn't really have the money to stay at an inn and still have money for food. Though, he knew that would change soon, as being in the military again would give him a steady paycheck. Not to mention, being an officer would relent more money into his pocket. However, he was still unsure if he really was up to being an officer, or even going to the academy. He wasn't eighteen anymore, and that was the typical age of the cadets in the academy. Though, he felt that he couldn't possibly do much worse then what he had all ready done in the military, and would keep an extra careful eye on his finances in case he would once again have to be on the run.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you so much for the reviews, and the fave! It really does help when I see some come in, as opposed to just coming in and getting hits. I'm sorry about the long wait, but I kept getting bouts of writer's block so I apologize for any weak places in this chapter. I'm glad that people are curious about Rokai, like me, and want to read this little AUish line I'm cooking up for him. Please review. _  
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_Imperial Academy: First Week_

_Since I can't write letters to send home, I decided to write down what happens in this journal. Though I'm not sure how often I'll be able to write in it. This week was pretty rough. I hadn't been doing much physical training since I was hiding out, but I think I did much better than most of the other cadets. I'm positive that I'm the oldest one here, but thankfully it's just a few years. All of the cadets share bunks, and I was the unfortunate one with the top. I keep thinking I'm going to roll out of it while I'm sleeping. Then, my bunkmate is a bit...strange. His name is Thomas Schubaltz, which is a well known name within the Imperial military. Though with some of the things he's done, it's obvious that he would be considered the 'black sheep' of the family. I guess I really don't have much to say to that though, considering my desertion. He's not really that bad of a person, he's well meaning at least. And he is a mechanical whiz, something I'm definitely not. Not that I can't get by with my skills, but I swear he eats, thinks, and sleeps machinery twenty-four seven. We've gotten along so far, even if he does freak me out a little, so I should at least get out of the academy all right. I hope. It's getting late and I really do need to get some rest._

The next couple of weeks saw a slightly tired Rokai. The academy was its own boot camp, only with more academics. The young, former deserter didn't find the physical part of the academy so tiring, it was the academics. He wasn't stupid, he was actually a bit above average, but the work he had to do with that wore him out mentally. Being mentally tired meant that he was also physically tired and created a nasty cycle for him. He wasn't sure how it was that his bunkmate was the infamous Thomas Schubaltz (only infamous as he wasn't the most popular of people), but all in all it really did help him with his academics. Thomas was definitely a genius, and after a few days of watching Rokai struggle with some of the work, was happy to help the slightly older man out. Rokai honestly wasn't sure how he could pay Thomas back, aside from maybe helping the blonde out with his firing skills (or lack thereof). Rokai hadn't actually been on the front lines that often. However, he knew more about combat and being in actual battle than the other cadets, which put him at an advantage when it came to learning about those subjects.

He often found himself shaking his head at some of the young cadets, as they would often talk about the 'glory' of war and how they'd prove themselves even without the war. Though the brunette knew better. Sure, for some people, there was much glory to be had. However, when it came to people like most of them, there wasn't any left to go around. He himself once entertained such notions when he first enlisted. Though, the events in New Helic City forever changed that. He knew the fear and what primal panic could do to a person, and that was far from glorious or even 'romantic' as some would place with war. He hoped, knowing it was in vain, that they would change their minds about their notions. However, with the war done with (or it appeared to be, though Rokai wouldn't be surprised if something happened), there was less chance of battle and therefore, less chance that these cadets would experience the horror that he had been through.

It was also due to his age that some of the cadets, lacking his obvious experience (though what that experience entailed he dared not say), started to look up to him. Some even went as far as calling him their big brother. Needless to say, it made Rokai just feel the effects of their age difference that much more acutely. Aside from the training grounds, he wasn't seeing much action inside the cockpit of a zoid, and for that he was a bit thankful.

As he went through his duties and training for the day, he began to wonder just what kind of zoid Rudolph had in mind for him. Maybe he would be allowed to pick from a list? He didn't want to get anything too fancy. He didn't really find it to be necessary, coming from the farming roots that he had, he was quite happy with something simple. He didn't really want to settle for the Molga, being an officer now, but he didn't feel any particular need for a Zaber Fang for instance. Not to mention, he wasn't sure if such a nice zoid would take kindly to a someone like him to start with. Zoids were alive and had their own personalities after all.

The entire time he was at the academy was similar to that. It wasn't until towards the end that he was called out to the zoid hangar. He assumed it was to find out what zoid he would finally end up with. As the brunette walked down the hall, Rokai found that he was eager in spite of himself. It was his very own zoid! Even after coming back from being a POW, he never did get another one after he was captured in his Molga. That zoid's fate was uncertain, as the young man wasn't told after being taken prisoner of course. This was a huge deal to him, even if he hadn't let it show to anyone until now and it shocked him. Even after all he had been through, and all of the thoughts of not piloting, he still deep down wanted a zoid. By the time he reached the hangar's entrance, his mind was running away with possibilities, all of his previous reservations gone. Any Imperial zoid would do, even a Molga. He didn't _have_ to fight in the military with it, at least not unless another war started and he desperately hoped that wouldn't be the case. Emperor Rudolph at least appeared to have political sense, if a bit too generous.

That was when Rokai took a deep breath, he needed to calm down. After all, the Emperor really had no reason to do this for him in his opinion. And even though it was disappointing to think, he didn't leave out the possibility that he may just have been called to test a zoid. He was still in the academy and it wasn't uncommon to have some of the cadets test something or another, though that honor typically went to the more experienced and competent zoid pilots. The brunette soldier then noticed that he was being called over by the zoid combat instructor, and it wasn't wise to keep him waiting long. As he finally reached him, he began to salute until the instructor waved him off.

"Lieutenant Rokai, I got a zoid in today, along with this letter with the Emperor's seal. I was told to give them to you personally, and to allow you to see if this is indeed the zoid you want," the instructor said, holding out the said letter. With all of the zoids around, Rokai really wasn't sure which one was actually his. However, he accepted with letter and quietly opened it.

_Rokai,_

_It is with great appreciation that I personally assign this zoid to you. The Empire and Republic have agreed to a Weapons' Exchange Program, and I have chosen you among others to be honored with a zoid from that program. Please take it in good graces, it's a wonderful zoid._

_Signed,_

_Emperor Rudolf Gehard Zepplin the Third_

Rokai really had wanted an Imperial zoid, but beggars couldn't be true choosers, especially with the honor of this. So, he looked around and saw that there were two zoids - a Dibison and a Command Wolf. Honestly, he wanted the Dibison. No, he didn't want it for the power it held, and he knew that it was a rather slow zoid. The only reason he wanted it was because he didn't want the Command Wolf. Just looking at the faster zoid made him want to cringe from the memory of his last encounter with one. Not knowing which, he looked at the instructor

"Sir, which zoid am I assigned to?" Rokai asked, trying hard to keep with protocol. The instructor turned to the two zoids in thought. Then, he pointed to the Command Wolf.

"You were assigned to the Command Wolf," was the casual reply. It was a shock to the instructor to see Rokai's eyes widen in shock, and he patted the younger man on the shoulder. "It's a nice zoid, glad you like it so much." With that, the instructor left, apparently mistaking Rokai's shock to be positive. However, this wasn't the case at all. He was completely horrified by this, even with what he told himself to be thankful before.

The brunette walked over to his new zoid, hesitating to place his hand on its leg. He could barely bring himself to touch the machine, could he bring himself to pilot it? Even if he did manage to pilot it, he felt that the Command Wolf wouldn't take well to his emotions and probably would have a conflict in the piloting and it would more than likely continue until his emotions stabilized to where he felt indifferent. Even rookies knew that the zoid and pilot must be in sync to work together. Rokai's brown eyes looked up at zoid, sure he heard it call out, perhaps confused as to why its new owner was acting like this. "I'll come back later," was all he said before turning on his heel and leaving the room. He had a lot of reflecting to do it appeared.

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Ha, I just figured out what that line thing was for. XD Please don't forget to review! 


	4. Chapter 4

Schala85: Finally, an update. Things had happened in real life, and writer's block didn't help. I wanted to get to a certain point, so the chapter is longer than the others. X3 And for some reason the divider line isn't working in the edit document so I'm sorry it's crammed. I don't own Zoids.

Once Rokai returned to the bunk beds of the academy, he saw that his bunkmate was gone. Which, the brunette felt quite relieved about that as he didn't really need to be bothered by Thomas' optimism. Taking time to get up onto his bed and lay down, his brown eyes soon looked far beyond the ceiling. In his mind, he was reliving the past events in New Helic City, and a look of pain and horror spread across his features. Even now, it didn't seem possible that he, the son of a simple farming family, caused so much pain to people that he didn't know, and probably never would know. It seemed almost fitting that after his mistakes that he wasn't allowed to even tell his mother goodbye before she died. Why did he of all people deserve such a luxury?

The brunette knew that he shouldn't keep looking back in the past so closely, and had at first scolded himself about it. However, over time, he had lost that inner battle and the thought of not beating himself up over it rarely came to mind. When he had gotten back to the Empire, he was regarded with a type of respect, and had become a guide to an officer in the area in which he had called home. Though, how could one respect the cowardice he had so effectively displayed in New Helic? He knew it wasn't courage that allowed him to first pilot that modified Command Wolf, and go through the heart of New Helic in an attempt to escape. Instead, he knew it was desperation. Perhaps Terra was right. Perhaps he was a coward? If so, he didn't understand why Rudolph had been so bent on rewarding him, though indirectly punishing him. His new Command Wolf was something he never wanted, and he struggled more so with the thought of piloting it. He would never be able to pilot the zoid at the rate in which he was going, and Rokai knew it.

"Hey, are you all right, Rokai?" asked a familar voice, sounding genuinely concerned. The said young man immediately identified the speaker to be his crazy bunkmate and sighed. He supposed that being alone for reflection was too much to ask for, but decided to push it all back and sat up.

"I'm fine," Rokai answered, although that was a total lie. He wasn't fine at all. Though, he hoped that Thomas would be gullible enough to believe him, and to Rokai's relief, he wasn't disappointed.

"Oh, okay," was the answer. Thomas' green eyes shone with excitement, something definitely had happened to the younger man today, and Rokai also had a feeling that he would be hearing all about it now. Again, Thomas' easy-to-read features didn't let him down. "Guess what happened today?" The brunette shook his head, to show he didn't know. "Well, it seems that the Empire and the Republic have created an exchange programs for zoids and I got a Dibison! There was also a Command Wolf but I don't know who or if anyone got that."

That figured, or so Rokai mused. If it hadn't been Thomas that got that Dibison he saw, it would've been one of the other cadets he knew so it really didn't matter. "I did," he answered simply, struggling with keeping his attention on the external matter at hand, or going back into the recesses of his mind.

"Oh wow, that's great, Rokai!" Thomas exclaimed. The blonde cadet was not only happy that he knew the other pilot, but that the pilot in question was his bunkmate. He really thought Rokai of all people deserved it, as the slightly older man was really such a great soldier. He was a great person in general, actually. Though, he was slowly starting to realize that Rokai wasn't anywhere near enthusiastic about the news. After a few moments, he was positive that his bunkmate was indeed not in the best of moods and it wore down Thomas' own mood. "...Something's wrong, isn't it?" he again asked, though in another way.

Rokai sighed, and lay back down on his top bunk. "Listen, Thomas, you can't tell anyone about what I'm about to say to you," the brunette began. He turned his head to see the blonde nod in agreement to Rokai's request. It was with a few moments of hesitation that Rokai continued. "I'm sure you heard of the POW that had wrecked havoc in New Helic shortly before the Imperial invasion. He had somehow managed to get a hold of a modified Command Wolf and attacked during the parade in the capital."

His tone then turned sarcastic, something Thomas didn't recognize from Rokai. "He caused a good bit of damage and insulted his own dignity and humanity, but he managed to get out without being injured himself. Once that soldier was back within the military, he was given a token role as a guide to one of the officers in charge of an area he knew well. After a while of that, certain events concerning Emperor Rudolph caused him to finally desert the military completely." The brunette stopped and looked at Thomas, wondering if his bunkmate (could he even consider Thomas as a friend?) understood what he was meaning.

It took a few moments, but a lightbulb seemed to go off in Thomas' head. "If that's true, you mean..." he began, gaining a nod from Rokai. "Then, that POW you mentioned, that was you?"

With another nod, Rokai again laid back down. "It still haunts me. ...When you're going into the military, you don't even think of the possibility of hurting civilians, or other people in general sometimes. I was panicked, and I was desperate to get out of there any way I could. I...I did things that I don't want to be reminded of, and all that I can think of when I see or even think about that Command Wolf is what happened back then." With that said, there was a long period of silence between the two.

"So what are you going to do now that you have that Command Wolf?" asked Thomas, finally breaking the silence. The blonde didn't say anything else at first, he was collecting thoughts on what he could say to Rokai to help him out. When his bunkmate didn't answer, he felt he had to say something else. "You can't keep running away from your problems. You're a great person, Rokai, and I'm sure that if you gave it a shot, you could become a great pilot for that zoid. Rudolph wouldn't have given it to you if he didn't think you were capable."

Inside, Rokai sighed. Rudolph may think he was capable, but being and thinking were two very different things. Thomas just didn't understand the situation for Rokai, no one could get it in his opinion. At least, no one could understand his situation unless they had experienced it themselves. "I appreciate what you're saying, but...it won't change anything."

"If you don't try at all, you don't have any chance at changing anything. You're not the only person that has some struggle with themselves you know," was the blonde young man's retort. Thomas' thoughts were on his family, namely Karl, and that he knew he would never match his older brother's greatness. However, he was working hard to become respected in his own right, and to climb out of his brother's shadow. It wasn't easy, not one bit. Though, he knew that if he slacked, more than likely the blonde cadet would fall back to square one.

One word from Thomas' pep talk seemed to speak the loudest to Rokai, and that word was 'try.' Could he 'try' to pilot the Command Wolf? Could he 'try' to get out of this academy? Could he 'try' to make it in the military again? Or could he 'try' to desert the military a final time? A small voice in the back of his mind asked him what was wrong with trying? After all, Rokai didn't have anything else to lose. He had no home, no family, and if he did lose the one thing he did have, which was his life, he could probably count on one hand the number of people that would even care. After a few more moments of mental debate, he sat up again.

"All right. I'll try to pilot that Command Wolf. Though, I honestly don't think that I can," he answered, his tone of voice was akin to a child being forced by his parents to clean his room. Though, it was more than what Thomas expected, and the blonde cadet nodded in response before getting his books out to work on the night's expectations.

The next day, Rokai obtained permission to work with his new zoid, having explained that he was having problems with piloting the zoid. Of course, the way he worded it made him feel a tinge guilty, as he later realized that he made it sound like the zoid was at fault. Though, he knew that it was his own damn fault. Yes, he knew it quite well. It was something that he couldn't easily forget, if he ever would. The feeling of dread that he felt earlier that morning as he had gone over to the zoid in question nearly made him turn around and walk away. However, Rokai by now was determined to do what he could to pilot this zoid, he refused to become a coward. It had taken him a long time of staring at the wolf before he could even go inside the cockpit, but once he had, he felt a bit more calm. Though, it would take more than that to successfully pilot it in combat situations.

Even so, this was much further than he had thought that he would get, and decided to go as far as he could. This led to him going out to the target field. It wasn't being used currently, he knew that because he asked just in case he managed to get this far. So, he'd be free to test himself as much as he dared. At least for the next five hours anyways, there were a couple of classes he still had to take before leaving the academy.

_Okay, let's see..._

Rokai looked at the controls and hesitated a moment before putting in the controls to zero in on one of the targets. He was sure he heard the Command Wolf growl. Needless to say, he hoped it was meant to be encouraging. Then, his fingers went to the control to fire the cannon. Almost instantly, he thought back to New Helic, and the small battle he had gone through in the city. However, he shook those thoughts out of his head and finally fired.


End file.
